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Compare Fiji (2006) - British Virgin Islands (2008)

Compare Fiji (2006) z British Virgin Islands (2008)

 Fiji (2006)British Virgin Islands (2008)
 FijiBritish Virgin Islands
Administrative divisions 4 divisions and 1 dependency*; Central, Eastern, Northern, Rotuma*, Western none (overseas territory of the UK)
Age structure 0-14 years: 31.1% (male 143,847/female 138,061)


15-64 years: 64.6% (male 293,072/female 292,312)


65 years and over: 4.3% (male 17,583/female 21,074) (2006 est.)
0-14 years: 20.2% (male 2,410/female 2,337)


15-64 years: 74.5% (male 9,004/female 8,534)


65 years and over: 5.4% (male 665/female 602) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products sugarcane, coconuts, cassava (tapioca), rice, sweet potatoes, bananas; cattle, pigs, horses, goats; fish fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish
Airports 28 (2006) 3 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways total: 3


over 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006)
total: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 25


914 to 1,523 m: 7


under 914 m: 18 (2006)
total: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)
Area total: 18,270 sq km


land: 18,270 sq km


water: 0 sq km
total: 153 sq km


land: 153 sq km


water: 0 sq km


note: comprised of 16 inhabited and more than 20 uninhabited islands; includes the islands of Tortola, Anegada, Virgin Gorda, Jost van Dyke
Area - comparative slightly smaller than New Jersey about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC
Background Fiji became independent in 1970, after nearly a century as a British colony. Democratic rule was interrupted by two military coups in 1987, caused by concern over a government perceived as dominated by the Indian community (descendants of contract laborers brought to the islands by the British in the 19th century). The coups and a 1990 constitution that cemented native Melanesian control of Fiji, led to heavy Indian emigration; the population loss resulted in economic difficulties, but ensured that Melanesians became the majority. A new constitution enacted in 1997 was more equitable. Free and peaceful elections in 1999 resulted in a government led by an Indo-Fijian, but a civilian-led coup in May 2000 ushered in a prolonged period of political turmoil. Parliamentary elections held in August 2001 provided Fiji with a democratically elected government led by Prime Minister Laisenia QARASE. First inhabited by Arawak and later by Carib Indians, the Virgin Islands were settled by the Dutch in 1648 and then annexed by the English in 1672. The islands were part of the British colony of the Leeward Islands from 1872-1960; they were granted autonomy in 1967. The economy is closely tied to the larger and more populous US Virgin Islands to the west; the US dollar is the legal currency.
Birth rate 22.55 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) 14.82 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues: $720.5 million


expenditures: $728.3 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
revenues: $204.7 million


expenditures: $180.4 million (2004)
Capital name: Suva (on Viti Levu)


geographic coordinates: 18 08 S, 178 25 E


time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
name: Road Town


geographic coordinates: 18 27 N, 64 37 W


time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate tropical marine; only slight seasonal temperature variation subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds
Coastline 1,129 km 80 km
Constitution enacted on 25 July 1997 to encourage multiculturalism and make multiparty government mandatory; effective 28 July 1998 13 June 2007
Country name conventional long form: Republic of the Fiji Islands


conventional short form: Fiji


local long form: Republic of the Fiji Islands/Matanitu ko Viti


local short form: Fiji/Viti
conventional long form: none


conventional short form: British Virgin Islands


abbreviation: BVI
Death rate 5.65 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) 4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $127 million (2004 est.) $36.1 million (1997)
Dependency status - overseas territory of the UK; internal self-governing
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Larry Miles DINGER


embassy: 31 Loftus Street, Suva


mailing address: P. O. Box 218, Suva


telephone: [679] 331-4466


FAX: [679] 330-0081
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Jesoni VITUSAGAVULU


chancery: 2233 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Suite 240, Washington, DC 20007


telephone: [1] (202) 337-8320


FAX: [1] (202) 337-1996
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Disputes - international none none
Economic aid - recipient $63.9 million (2004) $NA
Economy - overview Fiji, endowed with forest, mineral, and fish resources, is one of the most developed of the Pacific island economies, though still with a large subsistence sector. Sugar exports, remittances from Fijians working abroad, and a growing tourist industry - with 300,000 to 400,000 tourists annually - are the major sources of foreign exchange. Fiji's sugar has special access to European Union markets, but will be harmed by the EU's decision to cut sugar subsidies. Sugar processing makes up one-third of industrial activity but is not efficient. Long-term problems include low investment, uncertain land ownership rights, and the government's ability to manage its budget. Yet, because of a tourist boom, short-run economic prospects are good, provided tensions do not again erupt between indigenous Fijians and Indo-Fijians. Overseas remittances from Fijians working in Kuwait and Iraq have increased significantly. The economy, one of the most stable and prosperous in the Caribbean, is highly dependent on tourism, generating an estimated 45% of the national income. An estimated 820,000 tourists, mainly from the US, visited the islands in 2005. In the mid-1980s, the government began offering offshore registration to companies wishing to incorporate in the islands, and incorporation fees now generate substantial revenues. Roughly 400,000 companies were on the offshore registry by yearend 2000. The adoption of a comprehensive insurance law in late 1994, which provides a blanket of confidentiality with regulated statutory gateways for investigation of criminal offenses, made the British Virgin Islands even more attractive to international business. Livestock raising is the most important agricultural activity; poor soils limit the islands' ability to meet domestic food requirements. Because of traditionally close links with the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands has used the US dollar as its currency since 1959.
Electricity - consumption 721.4 million kWh (2003) 41.85 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2003) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2003) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production 775.7 million kWh (2003) 45 million kWh (2005)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m


highest point: Tomanivi 1,324 m
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: Mount Sage 521 m
Environment - current issues deforestation; soil erosion limited natural fresh water resources (except for a few seasonal streams and springs on Tortola, most of the islands' water supply comes from wells and rainwater catchments)
Environment - international agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
-
Ethnic groups Fijian 51% (predominantly Melanesian with a Polynesian admixture), Indian 44%, European, other Pacific Islanders, overseas Chinese, and other 5% (1998 est.) black 83%, other 17% (includes white, Indian, Asian and mixed)
Exchange rates Fijian dollars per US dollar - 1.691 (2005), 1.7331 (2004), 1.8958 (2003), 2.1869 (2002), 2.2766 (2001) the US dollar is used
Executive branch chief of state: President Ratu Josefa ILOILOVATU Uluivuda (since 18 July 2000)


head of government: Prime Minister Laisenia QARASE (since 10 September 2000)


cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister from among the members of Parliament and is responsible to Parliament


elections: president elected by the Great Council of Chiefs for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); prime minister appointed by the president; election last held 8 March 2006 (next to be held in 2011)


election results: Ratu Josefa ILOILOVATU Uluivuda elected president by the Great Council of Chiefs; percent of vote - NA
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor David PEAREY (since 18 April 2006)


head of government: Premier Ralph T. O'NEAL (since 23 August 2007)


cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from members of the House of Assembly


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed premier by the governor
Exports NA bbl/day 0 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities sugar, garments, gold, timber, fish, molasses, coconut oil rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand
Exports - partners US 19.7%, Australia 17%, UK 12.3%, Japan 5.4%, Samoa 4.1% (2005) Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US (2006)
Fiscal year calendar year 1 April - 31 March
Flag description light blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Fijian shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the shield depicts a yellow lion above a white field quartered by the cross of Saint George featuring stalks of sugarcane, a palm tree, bananas, and a white dove blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Virgin Islander coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms depicts a woman flanked on either side by a vertical column of six oil lamps above a scroll bearing the Latin word VIGILATE (Be Watchful)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 8.9%


industry: 13.5%


services: 77.6% (2001 est.)
agriculture: 1.8%


industry: 6.2%


services: 92% (1996 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 1.7% (2005 est.) 1% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates 18 00 S, 175 00 E 18 30 N, 64 30 W
Geography - note includes 332 islands; approximately 110 are inhabited strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs - transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe; large offshore financial center makes it vulnerable to money laundering
Imports NA bbl/day 604.3 bbl/day (2004)
Imports - commodities manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products, food, chemicals building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery
Imports - partners Singapore 27.4%, Australia 23.6%, NZ 18.9%, Thailand 4.5% (2005) Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US (2006)
Independence 10 October 1970 (from UK) none (overseas territory of the UK)
Industrial production growth rate NA% NA%
Industries tourism, sugar, clothing, copra, gold, silver, lumber, small cottage industries tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center
Infant mortality rate total: 12.3 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 13.63 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 10.91 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
total: 16.13 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 18.82 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 13.29 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 3% (2005) 2% (2005)
International organization participation ACP, AsDB, C, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, OPCW, PCA, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIS, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS, UNESCO (associate), UPU
Irrigated land 30 sq km (2003) NA
Judicial branch Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president); Court of Appeal; High Court; Magistrates' Courts Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal (one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the High Court); Magistrate's Court; Juvenile Court; Court of Summary Jurisdiction
Labor force 137,000 (1999) 12,770 (2004)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 70%


industry and services: 30% (2001 est.)
agriculture: 0.6%


industry: 40%


services: 59.4% (2005)
Land boundaries 0 km 0 km
Land use arable land: 10.95%


permanent crops: 4.65%


other: 84.4% (2005)
arable land: 20%


permanent crops: 6.67%


other: 73.33% (2005)
Languages English (official), Fijian (official), Hindustani English (official)
Legal system based on British system English law
Legislative branch bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (32 seats; 14 appointed by the president on the advice of the Great Council of Chiefs, 9 appointed by the president on the advice of the Prime Minister, 8 on the advice of the Opposition Leader, and 1 appointed on the advice of the council of Rotuma) and the House of Representatives (71 seats; 23 reserved for ethnic Fijians, 19 reserved for ethnic Indians, 3 reserved for other ethnic groups, 1 reserved for the council of Rotuma constituency encompassing the whole of Fiji, and 25 open seats; members serve five-year terms)


elections: House of Representatives - last held 25 August through 1 September and 19 September 2001 (next to be held 6-13 May 2006)


election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - SDL 27.5%, FLP 26.5%, MV 4.2%, NLUP 1.3%, NFP 1.2%, independents 1.4%, UGP .3%; seats by party - SDL 32, FLP 27, MV 6, NLUP 2, NFP 1, independents 2, UGP 1
unicameral House of Assembly (13 elected seats and 1 non-voting ex officio member in the attorney general; members are elected by direct popular vote, 1 member from each of nine electoral districts, 4 at-large members; to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 20 August 2007 (next to be held in 2011)


election results: percent of vote by party - VIP 45.2%, NDP 39.6%, independent 15.2%; seats by party - VIP 10, NDP 2, independent 1
Life expectancy at birth total population: 69.82 years


male: 67.32 years


female: 72.45 years (2006 est.)
total population: 76.86 years


male: 75.71 years


female: 78.07 years (2007 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 93.7%


male: 95.5%


female: 91.9% (2003 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 97.8% (1991 est.)


male: NA%


female: NA%
Location Oceania, island group in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico
Map references Oceania Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines


territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation; rectilinear shelf claim added
territorial sea: 3 nm


exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine total: 7 ships (1000 GRT or over) 15,867 GRT/8,432 DWT


by type: passenger 3, passenger/cargo 2, roll on/roll off 2


foreign-owned: 1 (Australia 1) (2006)
-
Military - note - defense is the responsibility of the UK
Military branches Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF): Land Forces, Naval Forces (2006) -
Military expenditures - dollar figure $36 million (2004) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 2.2% (FY02) -
National holiday Independence Day, second Monday of October (1970) Territory Day, 1 July (1956)
Nationality noun: Fijian(s)


adjective: Fijian
noun: British Virgin Islander(s)


adjective: British Virgin Islander
Natural hazards cyclonic storms can occur from November to January hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)
Natural resources timber, fish, gold, copper, offshore oil potential, hydropower NEGL
Net migration rate -2.94 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) 8.83 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Political parties and leaders Conservative Alliance Party/Matanitu Vanua or CAMV [Ratu Josefa DIMURI]; Dodonu Ni Taukei Party or DNT [Fereti S. DEWA]; Fiji Democratic Party or FDP [Filipe BOLE] (a merger of the Christian Democrat Alliance or VLV [Poesci Waqalevu BUNE], Fijian Association Party or FAP, Fijian Political Party or SVT (primarily Fijian) [Sitiveni RABUKA], and New Labor Unity Party or NLUP [Ofa SWANN]); Fiji Labor Party or FLP [Mahendra CHAUDHRY]; General Voters Party or GVP (became part of United General Party); Girmit Heritage Party or GHP; Justice and Freedom Party or AIM; Lio 'On Famor Rotuma Party or LFR; National Federation Party or NFP (primarily Indian) [Pramond RAE]; Nationalist Vanua Takolavo Party or NVTLP [Saula TELAWA]; Party of National Unity or PANU [Ponipate LESAVUA]; Party of the Truth or POTT; United Fiji Party/Sogosogo Duavata ni Lewenivanua or SDL [Laisenia QARASE]; United General Party or UGP [Millis Mick BEDDOES] Concerned Citizens Movement or CCM [Ethlyn SMITH]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Orlando SMITH]; United Party or UP [Gregory MADURO]; Virgin Islands Party or VIP [Ralph T. O'NEAL]
Political pressure groups and leaders NA NA
Population 905,949 (July 2006 est.) 23,552 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line 25.5% (1990-91) NA%
Population growth rate 1.4% (2006 est.) 1.923% (2007 est.)
Radio broadcast stations AM 13, FM 40, shortwave 0 (1998) AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2004)
Railways total: 597 km


narrow gauge: 597 km 0.600-m gauge


note: belongs to the government-owned Fiji Sugar Corporation; used to haul sugarcane during harvest season (May to December) (2005)
-
Religions Christian 52% (Methodist 37%, Roman Catholic 9%), Hindu 38%, Muslim 8%, other 2%


note: Fijians are mainly Christian, Indians are Hindu, and there is a Muslim minority
Protestant 86% (Methodist 33%, Anglican 17%, Church of God 9%, Seventh-Day Adventist 6%, Baptist 4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2%, other 15%), Roman Catholic 10%, other 2%, none 2% (1991)
Sex ratio at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female


total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.031 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.055 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 1.105 male(s)/female


total population: 1.053 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Suffrage 21 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: modern local, interisland, and international (wire/radio integrated) public and special-purpose telephone, telegraph, and teleprinter facilities; regional radio communications center


domestic: NA


international: country code - 679; access to important cable links between US and Canada as well as between NZ and Australia; 2 satellite earth stations - 2 INMARSAT (Pacific Ocean)
general assessment: worldwide telephone service


domestic: NA


international: country code - 1-284; connected via submarine cable to Bermuda; the East Caribbean Fiber System (ECFS) optic submarine cable provides connectivity to 13 other islands in the eastern Caribbean (2007)
Telephones - main lines in use 102,000 (2003) 11,700 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 142,200 (2004) 8,000 (2002)
Television broadcast stations NA 1 (plus 1 cable company) (1997)
Terrain mostly mountains of volcanic origin coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly
Total fertility rate 2.73 children born/woman (2006 est.) 1.72 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate 7.6% (1999) 3.6% (1997)
Waterways 203 km


note: 122 km navigable by motorized craft and 200-metric-ton barges (2004)
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